Zelig (1983)

A charming mockumentary about a fictional 1920s personality filmed as if cobbled together from old black-and-white footage.

Leonard Zelig is a "human chameleon," but Zelig the film doesn't stop at mimicry. Indeed, this fictional documentary written, directed, and starring Woody Allen differentiates between imitation and parody the same way Hitchcock differentiated between action and suspense. For example, the protagonist's parents used to punish him by locking him in a dark closet. If that were it, the film would simply be copying an aspect of Ingmar Bergman's childhood; Allen's genius lies in adding that when Zelig's parents are really mad, they "get into the closet with him." Zelig's targets go beyond the f…

CinemaSerf

6.0

Jun 21, 2025

I suppose nowadays we would call this a “mockumentary” about a chap who can be all things to all men except, perhaps, himself. It’s told using interviews, news reports and other actuality to regale us with the life and times of this man who somehow managed to infiltrate just about every scenario, strata of society and political grouping whilst altering his appearance to attain a consistent prominence even though his reasons for being where he was/is/would be were never quite clear to observers. Finally identified, he attracts the attention of psychiatrist “Dr. Fletcher” (Mia Farrow) who attemp…